Friday, January 20, 2012

Looking Back at Day One of the 2011/2012 Season

This summer marked the first real time in Blue Jackets history where the fans really and truly got what they wanted. A number one center to play with Rick Nash, which had been the talk of the 'needs' list for over half of a decade. A top tier defenseman that could generate offense with the puck and quarterback the struggling powerplay. Another top tier prospect that could electrify the fans and become a franchise player alongside Rick Nash.

We got Carter.
We got Wiz.
We got Johansen (in the lineup).

The excitement, at least for me, was palpable. I attended the last pre-season game against Minnesota and then went on to attend eight of the first ten home games. If you folks missed it, I would like to share a couple of my experiences because they really engaged me in the team.
First, the pre-season video which I enjoyed prior to the Minnesota game:

I don't have enough good things to say about it. "I'm coming home" followed by images of the city and guys working like crazy to get better. While I may not be a fan of the rapping in the video, the message was clear and it truly got me excited for the season. The passion that video produced in me was enough to get me riled up for opening night, which is a different story.

Second, the opening night video and introductions:

The music was pretty much perfect. "Learning to walk again" with flashes of the city, the fans, the team, the pride that goes into attending a Blue Jackets game with a jersey on. The guys coming out and having the sheets drop to them at center ice. There was so much to embrace and watching it again last night still gives me chills. From section 105 I watched this video, and then went home to youtube and had that song on repeat for days. To say it had an impact on me would be putting it terribly lightly.

There is no real purpose to this post beyond taking a little trip down memory lane on this season, and sharing a couple of intros that I believe were tremendously done by the Blue Jackets organization. I hope they can find a way to top themselves next year, because I can't wait for that feeling of hope/optimism to return in a big way for the 2012/2013 campaign.